Gerard Stiles
'Gerard Stiles '(1811−1840), whose real name was Ivan Miller, was a seafarer who lived at Collinwood in 1840 and was a good friend of Quentin Collins. In late 1840, the spirit of the evil warlock Judah Zachary took full possession of Gerard, and used him to get his revenge on the Collins family, becoming the master of Collinwood through a series of murders and trickery. While under Judah's possession, Gerard choreographed the Destruction of Collinwood in 1970, and then haunted it until at least 1995. 1840 Before arriving at Collinwood, Gerard was the captain of a ship known as the Java Queen, and Quentin and his son Tad Collins were also aboard. One night while out at sea, the ship was battered by a fierce storm, and according to Gerard, Quentin and Tad were both thrown overboard and lost at sea. Gerard returned to land and traveled to Collinsport, where he informed the family what happened to Quentin and Tad. As a token of gratitude for telling the family what had happened, a dying Daniel Collins allowed him to stay on the estate for as long as he liked. Gerard then moved into Rose Cottage. With Quentin gone, it became apparent that the family fortune would go to his now widowed-wife, Samantha Collins, following Daniel's death. A jealous Gabriel Collins, whom Daniel was not fond of, blackmailed Gerard and ordered him to poison her. Unknown to anyone at Collinwood, Gerard's real name was Ivan Miller and he committed numerous crimes around the globe. Since Gerard was a pirate with a criminal record, Ivan changed his name to Gerard Stiles. This was when he met Quentin and Tad Collins on a sea voyage. Gabriel Collins later found out Gerard's real name and his past history. He threatened to reveal Gerard's name and criminal record to the police unless he agreed to kill Samantha Collins for him. Gabriel said if Gerard killed him, all of Gerard's secrets would be released, so Gerard agreed to do it, and split the family fortune 50-50 with Gabriel once Samantha and Daniel were gone. However, Gerard turned the tables on Gabriel and married Samantha, making Gabriel furious. On the day Gerard married Samantha, Quentin made his return to Collinwood, shocking everyone. Gerard reluctantly told Quentin he was now married to Samantha, and Samantha realized she would soon have to make a choice. She ultimately chose Gerard, but it was obvious Gerard only married her for the money, and their marriage was annulled. Samantha went on hating Gerard. One night at Rose Cottage, Gerard caught Leticia Faye sneaking out of Rose Cottage with a large box that contained the Mask of Baal, an ancient and priceless artifact that once belonged to Judah Zachary, a 17th century warlock, and contained numerous powers. He let Leticia leave with the mask after she promised him she would get it appraised, but he secretly followed her to a secret vault in the cemetery where Leticia and Julia Hoffman were working to bring Judah back to life. Eventually, Gerard managed to get into the vault, but accidentally set it on fire and was nearly killed. He stole the mask and obtained Judah's diary, and kept both of them in his room. The Head of Judah also appeared one day in Gerard's room following a strange dream. Over time, Gerard became more and more consumed by the spirit of Judah, and often times would become possessed by him. Becoming increasingly worried, Gerard tossed the Head over the edge of Widows' Hill, but the Head would be returned days later by Charles Dawson. Charles ordered Gerard to put the mask on, and Gerard then became fully and permanently possessed by Judah. Now possessed by Judah, Gerard vowed to carry out Judah's plans of destroying the Collins family in revenge for Amadeus Collins finding him guilty of witchcraft and beheading him in 1692. He declared that his plan would involve a new witchcraft trial where Quentin would be found guilty and beheaded. Gerard planted suspicion in the minds of Lamar Trask and Daniel Collins by the use of dreams and visions of Quentin practicing witchcraft and killing a woman named Lorna Bell. After Gerard cast a spell over Desmond Collins that nearly caused him to choke to death, Lamar found the voodoo doll that was used in Quentin's laboratory, convincing him that Quentin was a warlock. Quentin was later arrested when Lamar found him standing over Randall Drew's dead body in the woods. Barnabas learned that Gerard was possessed by the head and realized that the spirit he had been fighting was not truly Gerard, but Judah Zachary. Gerard captured the witch named Angelique and took away her powers. At Quentin's execution, Angelique came with the head and told everyone that Gerard was possessed. As Gerard went on using sorcery, he seduced Daphne. This led to Quentin's recapture. Desmond Collins shot Gerard and the possession ended. Gerard died in Quentin's arms asking him for forgiveness. Quentin forgave his friend. Alternate Timeline Prior to Barnabas and Julia traveling to 1840, Gerard (possessed by Judah Zachary) had somehow died in early 1841, and then returned to wreck havoc on the Collins estate in 1970. He haunted the estate until at least 1995 with Tad, Carrie and Daphne. It was never revealed how he died. This timeline was negated when Barnabas and Julia altered history. Background information and notes * As the 1840 Flashback was the last storyline in the main time band, Gerard would be the final main antagonist in the regular storyline. * Gerard's real name of Ivan Miller was mentioned only once in 1115. Appearances 1063, 1064, 1066, 1067, 1068, 1069, 1070, 1077, 1086, 1087, 1088, 1089, 1094, 1096, 1100, 1101, 1104, 1107, 1109, 1111, 1112, 1113, 1115, 1116, 1118, 1119, 1120, 1121, 1125, 1126, 1127, 1128, 1132, 1134/1135, 1136 Stiles, Gerard Stiles, Gerard Stiles, Gerard Stiles, Gerard